Bahrain blames opposition group for rioting

Bahraini anti-government protesters react to tear gas fired by riot police Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, on the outskirts of the capital of Manama, Bahrain. Security forces in Bahrain have fired tear gas and stun grenades at thousands of protesters trying to occupy a landmark square in the nation's capita

/ AP

Bahraini anti-government protesters react to tear gas fired by riot police Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, on the outskirts of the capital of Manama, Bahrain. Security forces in Bahrain have fired tear gas and stun grenades at thousands of protesters trying to occupy a landmark square in the nation's capital ahead of Tuesday's one-year anniversary of the Shiite-led uprising in the Gulf kingdom. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

Bahraini anti-government protesters react to tear gas fired by riot police Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, on the outskirts of the capital of Manama, Bahrain. Security forces in Bahrain have fired tear gas and stun grenades at thousands of protesters trying to occupy a landmark square in the nation's capital ahead of Tuesday's one-year anniversary of the Shiite-led uprising in the Gulf kingdom. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali) (/ AP)

REEM KHALIFA and BARBARA SURK, Associated Press

Authorities in Bahrain blamed the country's opposition for the violence that erupted at a rally in the nation's capital ahead of Tuesday's anniversary of the Shiite-led uprising in the Gulf kingdom.

A government statement said Al Wefaq, Bahrain's main Shiite group that led the demonstrations during last year's uprising, was responsible for turning what would have been a peaceful demonstration into a riot Monday.

Police fired tear gas and stun grenades at protesters on Monday evening to prevent the opposition from staging a mass rally to mark the one-year anniversary of Bahraini Shiite majority's revolt against the Sunni rulers. Some protesters then hurled firebombs and rocks at security forces. No casualties were reported.

Monday's rally was government-sanctioned and organized by Al Wefaq.

But authorities said many protesters left the rally's authorized route in Manama, turning it into a riot after police arrived. They said Al Wefaq was responsible for the violence, because it failed to "control the crowd and that it jeopardized the safety of the people along a busy main road."

Legal procedures will be taken against the organizers of the march, the government statement also said.

Monday's march was the largest attempt in months by opposition supporters to retake Pearl Square, the central roundabout in the capital that served as the epicenter of weeks of anti-government protests last year.

The now heavily guarded square holds great symbolic value for Bahrain's opposition movement, and protesters have repeatedly tried to reoccupy it. But authorities have effectively locked off the capital to demonstrations since March.

At least 40 people were killed during months of unprecedented political unrest in Bahrain, the Gulf country hardest hit by upheaval during last year's Arab Spring protests. Neighboring Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-ruled Gulf states dispatched troops to Bahrain in March to help crush the protests after the rulers imposed martial law.

Emergency rule was lifted in June, but street battles between security forces and protesters still flare up almost every day in the predominantly Shiite villages around the capital.

Shiites account for about 70 percent of Bahrain's population of some 525,000 people, but say they have faced decades of discrimination and are blocked from top political and security posts.

Bahrain's Sunni rulers have promised reforms, although they refused to make the far-reaching changes the protesters and the main Shiite group, Al Wefaq, have demanded. These include ending the monarchy's ability to select the government and set key state policies.